The Undercover Lover
by Indigogold
Summary: Piper Chapman is a notorious detective at the NYPD, and she is offered the opportunity to go undercover to take down New York's most elusive drug ring. Ambitious and driven, Piper is willing to do everything it takes to infiltrate them. Only, things get a little complicated when she meets Alex Vause. Will she fall for the enemy? AU, Multichapter - Vauseman.
1. Tricia Miller

_Hi! I've only just finished my first OITNB fic – but this idea has been gnawing at me for weeks, so I thought I'd give it a go. This is a little short as my chapters go, but think of it as an intro. I'm just putting some feelers out there at the moment – hopefully you guys will like where it's heading!_

 **Chapter 1**

"Wake up!" Alex awoke instantly at the noise, due to the inconvenient schedule of her rather unorthodox occupation – she was a light sleeper. Her pinged open and she looked up to find a pair of dark, mascara rimmed eyes glaring at her.

Nichols.

Alex groaned, genuinely torn between blocking her ears with her pillow or suffocating Nikki with it. She blinked. The younger woman's eyes were wild – quite fitting with her hair, which – if possible, was even more untamed in the morning. The ends of her mane tickled Alex's cheeks. She felt a surge of irritation.

"Ugh." Alex pressed her hands against Nikki's abdomen and pushed her away. Resting her bodyweight on one elbow, she reached across the dresser to her glasses. Groggily, she managed to sit up. She pushed her the black frames on the bridge of her nose and squinted harshly at the light. "What the fuck are you doing?" The brunette said in a low, husky voice.

"Get up Vause – _move_! Kubra's been calling you all morning. You left your phone in my apartment, you idiot." She sat on the end of Alex's bed, and ran a tentative hand through her hair. "I answered. He told me that that little mule _you_ recruited – uh shit. What was her name? Brooke? Brooke Soso."

The older woman regarded her blankly.

"Uh… The chatterbox who only shuts up when she's having her pussy licked." Nikki wove her fingers together. "She's been arrested with the stash."

Alex blinked again, harsher this time – her eyebrows rose as she digested the information. "Fuck!"

"…Yeah, that was my thinking. He wants to see you _now_."

"Shit. Fuck." Alex pushed past her friend and dove out of bed, throwing the blanket she'd just been cherishing down onto the floor.

Fortunately, she was already wearing sweatpants and a baggy shirt - she'd fallen asleep whilst on her laptop into the early hours.

Alex threw herself towards her wardrobe and grabbed her Doc Martens, she shoved her feet into them, bending over and knotting the laces quickly. She stood up again and grabbed her jacket hanging off of her desk chair. She ran out of the room breathing heavily with a bemused Nichols watching her, half entertained and half apprehensive.

Alex ran back in, "where the fuck is he?" She said, with her dark hair sticking up at all angles, emerald eyes smudged with day-old eyeliner.

"Warehouse 223." Nikki answered, throwing Alex her car keys off of the bedside table. Impressively, although in a zombie-like trance the brunette still managed to capture the jingling metal between her fingers.

"Of course, a warehouse." Alex nodded, more to herself. "He's going to fucking kill me."

"Nah. If he was gonna kill you he wouldn't call first."

"Hmm." Alex reasoned. "Could have been a courtesy call."

"Kubra doesn't do courtesy." Nikki was only contributing to her friend's quickly plummeting mood.

"Alright, whatever. I'll see you later, would you mind getting the fuck out of my apartment and going back next door to, I don't know – where you actually _live?"_

Nikki huffed, kicked off her shoes, pulled the duvet off of the floor and tucked herself beneath it. "I didn't pay my gas bill." She shrugged.

" _Again?"_ Alex studied her from the door frame. "Oh fine. Just lock it on your way out. I'll see you later, potentially as a ghost."

The younger woman laughed uneasily. "Bye."

.

.

.

Piper leant over in her chair and stared out idly at the New York skyline, she still couldn't get enough of the view. Buildings upon buildings stretched on for miles and miles, people below hurriedly filtered in and out of each other – going nowhere and everywhere.

It was late September and the early morning sunshine bounced off of the blonde's pine desk – devoid of her usual papers and files. Instead, her empty lipstick-rimmed coffee cup stood beside her computer screen, which showed a screensaver of the NYPD logo bouncing around relentlessly.

The detective sighed, wondering about the people below. Wondering about the lives they led, the jobs they had, the crimes that they committed. Not one was brought to her desk. This was New York City dammit and she was sitting here looking out of the window.

Stubbornly she had to admit it to herself. She was _bored_. Bored shitless. Since she had been promoted to detective three years ago, Piper couldn't remember single occasion prior to this morning where boredom had evaded her so wholly. Over the years she had been frustrated, yes, angry, yes – sad, of course. Never bored.

In the back of her mind she knew why. Yet she pushed the thought away over and over, not letting herself capture the essence of it completely. She watched the busy precinct around her, and felt like she did as a teenager when she was being punished – being grounded and not being allowed to go to a party. She tried to focus on her paperwork but her mind drifted aimlessly, down, down and settled to the dark place she forbid herself to ever venture into.

It was because of _that_ case.

Piper Chapman had had an undisputed reputation of successful cases. She'd been the golden detective, top of her game. Her sharp eye, quick mind and notorious intuition meant she had quickly rose through the ranks. She had gone beyond what was expected of her, snapping case after case closed in record time.

Until that case.

She frowned, following the logo bouncing around her screen with her eyes – a sigh escaped her before she could stop herself.

In the last year, cases had come to her slowly – they were minute, monkey-solving cases. It was during those past few months in the wake of _that case -_ that made Piper realise she'd gotten cocky. She'd taken her eye off of what was really important. She'd become arrogant, drunk on the high of being on top.

Piper was very aware of the fact that in the past few weeks she hadn't received a single case at all.

At first she'd told herself that she was being silly. She was just being paranoid – they were going through a quiet period. That maybe New York wasn't as dangerous as it used to be.

However, as time passed and she watched her colleagues thrive, she had to acknowledge something wasn't right. The denial had only worked for so long. It hurt to admit it. It hurt more than she'd ever imagined it to. Piper remembered how much being a cop meant to her, and how foolishly she'd taken it for granted.

She had gotten to the point where she was doing the paperwork that she'd spent her whole career avoiding.

Piper heard footsteps approach her desk. Her heart leapt, then sank as she turned and saw Detectives Maritza Ramos and Flaca Gonzales striding past. The blonde had thought both women rather flighty – she had wrongly assumed they weren't ambitious.

To her dismay they were quickly becoming a dynamic duo in her absence.

Piper scrunched up her nose as they brought in yet another interviewee, a beautiful Asian-American woman with cuffs bound to her struggling wrists. They took her into the interview room, Flaca turned around and smiled, flicking her hair towards the blonde before she shut the door firmly.

 _Damn it._ Piper thought angrily pushing her empty cup off of the table altogether.

"Fucking hell, Piper. Would you cut out the little girl lost act?" Polly said from her desk – pausing mid-type. "Your sighs are blowing all your bad mood all over me. Not to mention your coffee breath. I'm on a roll here – bitch." She added for good measure.

"Pol, I'm sorry but I am struggling to remain positive here. Look at me." She gestured wildly. "I'm a human wasteland, I mean holy shit – people are gonna start dumping their trash at my desk before long."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Stop being so overdramatic -" Her attention was diverted by Captain Healy walking purposefully towards them, he moved past the Polly's desk and paused next to Piper's.

"Chapman, a word please." He said simply before striding away – indicating that she should follow him back into his office.

Piper looked at Polly. "Shit." She said. "Shit. Shit – fucking shit." Her chest tightened as she stood up, legs shaking as she walked towards his office.

Polly frowned. "Good luck in there."

.

.

.

"You see my problem, Vause?" Kubra said, his dark eyes following her with furrowed brows.

"Yeah, yeah. Completely." Alex responded, trying her best not to show that she was on the verge of shitting herself. He was just one man, but somehow had the ability to make her tremble.

Not in a good way, either. He was her boss' boss. He mercilessly killed anyone who went against his wishes.

Like poor Tricia.

Alex shuddered and tried to push it from her mind.

"This is the third loss we've had in less than two months. Pennsatucky tried to go solo, Tricia attempted to do a runner – and now, Soso has gotten herself arrested." He shook his head, and stood over her. "They were all your recruits, Vause. _Yours."_

Alex nodded slowly. She knew. Of course she knew, all too fucking well. She had had a good track record, if she did say so herself. Everything had been going swimmingly. She transported her shit and got her money. Simple, easy, done.

She wasn't going to deny the fact that she found women attractive, and in return, few had the power to resist her charms. That was what made her so damn good at transporting drugs. Her confidence, her charm, more specifically her drive made her perfect for it.

Once she got talking to these women, most of them were intrigued by her – and were more than willing to listen to what she had to say. After that, that was it really. They were either in or out.

Thanks to her, they were usually in. Sometimes a bit of light persuasion was needed – a bottle of wine here, a bit of foreplay there. Nothing too complicated.

Eighteen months ago – Pennsatucky tried to set up on her own. Get a little heroin business running. She'd failed, of course, Kubra was the undisputed drug king in the city – though somehow she'd escaped to another state with the stash and her deadbeat junkie boyfriend.

He'd been furious. That had been strike number one.

Number two had come with Tricia. Alex acknowledged that she had never been a good idea really, the kid hadn't taken much persuading. That should have sent the alarm bells ringing. She was naïve, young and consequently, homeless.

She'd run with the stash and she'd paid the ultimate price.

Alex closed her eyes and pinched her forehead between her index finger and thumb, sighing heavily. She wanted to escape from his heavy gaze for just a moment. Thinking about the kid laying on the pavement with no one to mourn her, made her heart hurt.

Alex wondered if Kubra had sent Aydin to kill Tricia, or whether he'd done the job himself to send the ultimate message.

She squared her shoulders. She was in too deep now, there was no escape. Soso was the third strike. "I know." She practically whispered.

"That isn't good enough and you know it." His lips fell further at the corners. "We're dangerously low on mules. I need you to up your game. Pick someone who you _know_ is going to stay loyal." He knelt towards her. "I need you to make someone fall so head over heels in love with you, Vause, that they _cannot_ say no."

Her heart pinched but she nodded. She adjusted her glasses. "Yeah. Yes. Okay."

"Good. I've got my eye on you."

She didn't like the look on his face. His piercing eyes held a sinister edge that made her go cold. She grimaced – got to her feet and left, his watchful eyes still following her until she disappeared out of the exit.

She stood in the heavy sunlight, sweat pooling at the small of her back. Alex ran her hands through her hair, digging her nails into her scalp. _Fuck, fuck, fuck._

She had to up her game.

.

.

.

Ten minutes later Piper was sitting opposite Healy who was typing away at his desk, hanging in dread and anticipation. She coughed quietly, hoping to remind him of her presence once more.

He looked up at her over her readings glasses. "Yes, Chapman, I know that you are still there. I will be with you in a moment."

Chastened, she nodded and clasped her hands together, adverting her gaze from his. She looked around the Captain's office, and noted it was remarkably absent of family photos – just one singular little photograph of his Russian wife. This woman seemed to be the core reason for the constant frown on her boss's face.

Piper fiddled nervously with her badge, recalling the wonderful moment when she'd first been given it. She was reminded of how hard she worked to get here.

She wasn't ready to let that go.

He wasn't going to let her go, was he?

She had a vision of him taking her badge and gun away from her, and her falling to her knees and begging. _Please, please don't do this to me._ _This is all I've ever wanted._

Finally, Captain Healy's fingers stopped typing, the room suddenly seeming rather vacant in the absence of his clicking fingers. Piper was aware that she was breathing rather loudly, she tried to suck in her breath, but ended up almost choking instead.

"Relax, would you?" Healy said, his voice softer, but his blue eyes were still somehow hard and judgemental. She shrank in her chair.

"Sorry Sir." She said.

"It's perfectly fine, Detective. Now, I won't beat around the metaphorical bush here – you're aware of the young woman Ramos and Gonzales just brought in?" He paused to allow her to nod, she had to stop herself grimacing at the memory of Flaca's smug expression.

"Yes." Her voice was clipped, lips tight.

"That young girl is called Brooke Soso. She was caught with a shitload of heroin – no big deal, you'd think? Typical Tuesday in the office, hmm? But here, Chapman look," he dug in his briefcase taking great effort to lean over his own bulging stomach in an effort to get to it. He handed her a sealed transparent bag with that a familiar white powder inside.

Piper closed her shaking fingers around the light package, she weighed it in her fingers and turned it over in her hands. On the other side of the bag was a snake symbol in the shape of an 'S'. She looked at it and then back up to her boss, eyes wide in recognition. "Shit." She hissed. "It's back."

Her mind wound backwards. One year ago, Tricia Miller had been found brutally murdered on the corner of 125th Street. She was discovered to be a homeless nineteen year old girl – Piper had found it heart-breaking that there had been no one to mourn her. Not even a friend.

So, she took on the responsibility herself. She thought that she could avenge her death, and give the poor misguided youth the justice she deserved.

It was evident that it had been more than one person. In her autopsy, Tricia was found to have multiple contusions to her upper chest, lower abdomen and back. Though it was discovered a fatal head wound had caused her death.

It had been concluded that she had died slowly, painfully. In the girl's back pocket, a pouch containing heroin had been discovered stamped with symbol that entire NYPD was familiar with. The snake.

Over the years there had been similar run-ins in the same area, the same sort of wounds – circumstances, and there was that symbol again. There were always young girls, all under twenty five years old – evidence of heavy drug usage evident in their bloodstream. It was always the same sort of story, too, no family or friends to speak of to come forward. No one to campaign for their killers to be found.

Her whole career, Piper had followed these cases – and had never actually come close to one until one year ago. When she'd been put on Tricia's case.

All of the cases linked back to the symbol. To the heroin. It wasn't a coincidence. The exact same symbol was graffitied on the floor of elusive warehouses – predictably vacant by the time the NYPD arrived.

It was that symbol, that heroin – that was responsible for a sudden surge in New York over the recent years. Every trail they'd come to so far was a dead end. The case, she had thought - died with Tricia.

Along with her career. She shook herself slightly, and tuned back in to what Healy was saying.

"She's a bag of nerves, this kid, Brooke - barely past puberty. Conscience the size of the moon, came completely clean about everything. And before you ask, Detective, yes, _everything_ that she knows."

"Why would she do that?"

"Why indeed? I'm guessing she's just a kid who knows she's fucked up. She's trying to make it right. She was short of money, and she was approached by a woman – and in her words, she said she couldn't say no to her. She said it was like she was being hypnotised."

"Did this woman hurt her in any way?"

"That's the thing, no – she just said that this woman was _very_ persuasive."

"Did she give a name?"

"Alex Vause."

Piper nodded, taking it all in.

"Not to mention several names of people she had already come into contact with." Healy allowed himself to smile. "I think we could nail 'em, this time Chapman, I really do."

"I'm sorry Sir, but what does this have to do with _me?_ I hit a dead end with this case and everyone knows it."

Healy's eyes softened slightly. "And no one knows that better than you, Detective. I have a proposition for you."

Piper's stomach tightened, he had piqued her interest, and she sat straighter – pulled apart her interwoven fingers in an effort to look more poised. Confident.

"Now this is big. I mean huge. I've talked to some of the big guns about this and they agree, you're perfect for this assignment…"

"…Sir?"

"…I want you to go undercover. I want you to pose as a vulnerable post-college grad. I want you to be the type of woman this Alex Vause would approach. You do that, you're in – I want you to do whatever she asks. Don't worry you'll be completely safe – we'll be behind you every step of the way." He stood up and began pacing. "Soso has given us information, but not _enough_ , it is however sufficient enough for you to set up a cover. We need you to lead us to this elusive leader. After all these years we have a chance to _finally_ get them, Chapman – and we, _I_ \- want you to be the one to do it. So, will you?"

Piper blinked, still digesting the information. He wanted her to go undercover. He was right, this was huge. Her first undercover assignment. She felt a thrill run through her, an exhilarating adrenaline coursing through her veins, a mix of fear and trepidation making her heart violently pump in her chest. She pictured her empty desk, her sad screensaver. She needed to prove herself again, she needed to show them she still had what it took. That Piper Chapman was a good fucking detective. "Yes." She said, lips curling upwards. "I will do it."

.

.

.

A few hours later, after talking things through with her boss, Piper was on a high - that was until she got in her car and abruptly wondered what she'd tell Larry. She thought about the way he'd perceive it, the extra hours, the danger - not to mention the repercussions of getting into something like this. She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help yet couldn't help thinking about these things herself. These people weren't amateurs, they killed people for betraying them. They were very dangerous. She'd be putting herself right out onto the firing line. It was going to be terrifying.

Even so, she couldn't help feeling electricity shooting through her body as she started up the car.

She got into the apartment late that evening.

It was decided that the following night, she was going to go to the bar that Brooke had been approached by Alex Vause in, and see whether she'd be approached herself.

That was going to be her way in.

"Hey, babe!" Larry called, looking up from his laptop – with Piper couldn't help notice that it held a Word document void of anything but the word _The._ She sighed inwardly, looking at the discarded wrappers next to him.

"Hey." She responded, heading towards the kitchen.

"How was your day?"

She thought about telling him, about this amazing opportunity that she'd been given. She opened her mouth, pausing in front of him. "Fine."

 **This is kind of a set-up sort of chapter – just to show you where Piper and Alex are in their lives. In case you couldn't tell this is very AU. I'm really excited about this story – I start my second year of uni in two weeks, so I'll try to update as much as I can.**

 **That's if you even liked it anyway? Let me know what you think and whether or not this is worth continuing?**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. Lesbian Pied Piper

**Sorry for the delay – life gets in the way! Thank you very much for the overwhelming response to my last chapter, I hope you like this one.**

 **Chapter 2 – Lesbian Pied Piper**

"Is it obvious?" Piper said, angling her body towards the mirror, turning in multiple directions before looking to Detective Harper.

"Not unless you're looking for it. Would you stop being so paranoid, Pipe?" Polly huffed, watching her friend from her desk.

"Well she _could_ be looking for a wire, she's not exactly working for a respectable business is she? This… Alex, is bound to be suspicious." Piper put down her hand mirror, and stood up in her heels. "I never thought I'd be dressed like this in the precinct." She laughed.

Polly sighed again. "Yeah, okay – you've got the gig of a lifetime you bitch, I get it. Could you let us _little_ people continue with our work please?"

"Jeez, Pol. I'm not going to apologise for Healy giving me this opportunity. You know I've had a serious dry spell since the Tricia Miller case, why are you putting a downer on this?" She rose to full height and pressed her palms on her friend's desk, forcing the brunette to take her in completely. Piper felt Polly's narrowed eyes run over her short, tight black dress – it hugged her in a way that made her feel both sexy, admittedly, a little uncomfortable.

"You do look great." The brunette gave a small smile. "Although, I'm a little nervous for you. I don't think acting is your strong point."

"Hey! – well, it's not, you're right, but I _can_ do this I know I can."

Polly raised her eyebrows. "So what's the plan?"

"I know the plan inside out, Healy made sure of that." Piper sat on the edge of her friend's desk, stretching out her long, tanned legs – elongated even further by her six-inch stilettos. "I'm meeting Bennett and Caputo down in the surveillance van in half hour. Healy is going to be keeping tabs on me from his office -"

" _Ew."_

"Shut up." Piper shot her a sharp look. "The guys in the van will be able to see and hear everything I do. For tonight, all I have to do is lure Vause – or let her think she's luring _me…_ and hopefully I'll be in."

"Just like that? What makes you think she will even approach you?"

"She will, believe me." The blonde raised a confident brow. "I am making certain that I will suit the profile that she would usually approach."

"With that cocky attitude she'll sniff you straight out."

"Fuck off. I'm going to be every inch the little-girl-lost. I've just gotta channel my nineteen year-old self." Piper suddenly looked nervous, her fingers fiddled with the hem of her dress. "I _can't_ fuck this up. My whole career is riding on this. This is my chance to give Tricia Miller justice – to take down the drug cartel that took her life. Not to mention countless other unsolved cases."

"I know." Polly's expression changed. "You'll do great, okay? I'm sorry I'm such a grumpy bitch. I might be a _little_ jealous, and maybe a tiny bit concerned."

"It's okay. I'll call you as soon as I get home anyway. I'll tell you everything."

"You'd better."

* * *

Alex's expression was vacant as she looked out of the window. Her _expensive_ window. She was sitting on a three-thousand dollar couch for fuck's sake. Why did she feel so out of her depth? She had a good thing going here, and she was dreaming of a different life.

Why?

She watched as a bird soared from one tree to another, spreading its wings wide and glide with the wind, swooping up and down like it was a feather in the breeze. It landed firmly on a wide branch before climbing further up the tree. Her gaze shifted to the shaded ground below the branches, dusted with amber and crimson leaves, transforming the pavement into an autumnal wonderland. She tore her gaze away,

She had been unable to sleep the previous night. All that was running through her mind was Kubra – and what he could, and _would_ do to her if she failed again.

That was just it. The reason why her mind refused to shut down even for just a second.

She couldn't fuck up. Not even one more time.

She dug her nails into either hand and exhaled, as though she had been holding her breath for a thousand years. Fucking Brooke Soso – that naïve little kid getting herself arrested had put Alex in a very difficult position indeed.

She had to recruit someone new now, and not just another one of her typical Tuesday pick-ups. This girl had to be golden, she had to make the other mules pale in comparison to her dazzling radiance. Alex had to be _certain_ that this woman could be trusted.

This woman that she didn't know yet.

The way Kubra saw it, the only way she'd have a solid mule was to make this girl fall in love with her. With heart-shaped eyes – he told her – she'd do anything.

When she heard him say that, her skin turned to ice.

He wanted her to up her game. She'd have to put every single ounce of her will and energy into this latest recruit. Give her the complete Alex Vause 101. She had to make this poor fucker love her. Alex pitied this girl already.

She stood up and walked to the bedroom – she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked even paler than usual. There was so much pressure on her tonight.

Alex tried not to let herself think about it too much, to think about how deep in this shit she was. It was terrifying if she thought about it properly. This persona that she was, her wit, her charm – this _front_ that she put on was what was going to save her life. Of course, it was her to a certain extent – but she knew to her core she was fucked up and insecure. Not to mention paranoid. But in the drug ring, she had to be the best version of herself. That was what Kubra wanted.

Alex mentally shook herself. She was burying herself too deep in her own head.

She had a good gig going here, didn't she? She had barely entered the third decade of her life and she had more money than she knew what to do with. She got to hop a plane to a different country at least once a fortnight. She had a very high number etched onto her bedpost.

She had money, sex and adventure. What more could a woman possibly want?

Alex opened her vast wardrobe and came face to face with herself. She eyed her long legs clad in tight black jeans, her eyes moved up to the Rolling Stones top she was sporting with the sleeves rolled up. She looked good. She always looked good.

She met her own green eyes in the mirror behind her black frames. She studied herself like she was seeing a stranger for the first time. Could she really make someone fall in love with _her_? Did she have that sort of power…?

Of course she did.

Whether she wanted to use that power was the question. Was she really the sort of person to take away another's heart without a second thought? She could fuck a beautiful woman any day of the week – but she'd never let anyone cross that barrier.

Even she knew she didn't have a choice, but that didn't make it any easier. She raised a brow to herself and peeled off her top and kicked away her trousers. She looked at her ivory body, the white of her skin almost blinding in the light. Her eyes trailed to her ample breasts rather exposed in a low-cut embroidered bra, to her matching crimson underwear.

She had a belief system to always be prepared. She didn't know what tonight would hold but she knew that she had to be ready for any eventuality.

Alex ran her fingers along the garments in her wardrobe, clicking her tongue as the tips of them connected with the different types of fabric.

She debated over what was the best sort of thing to wear. She was overthinking it, she knew.

"Holy shit, Vause – your tits are gonna explode out of that bra." Nikki remarked from the doorway.

Alex turned and smirked, not surprised by her neighbour's uninvited entrance. She and Nikki had known each other since middle school. They'd bonded over their mutual distaste for the opposite sex. They'd had a very short fling, to which they'd both instantly agreed was wrong on more levels than one. So, instead, they'd become partners in crime, fighting their way through adolescent life, love and drama. Constantly arguing over whether scissoring was a myth or not.

After they'd left school, Alex couldn't afford college, and Nikki didn't favour it – so they'd embarked into the illicit world of drug trafficking. Both keen to impress and rebel, they found a world that they both felt they belonged. Whilst Nikki was keen to stay as a lowly drug dealer, Alex had risen through the ranks of Kubra's drug ring.

Both had made enough money, however, to be comfortable financially. They'd bought apartments next to each other.

Although a homeowner, Nichols struggled to prevent her money from slipping through her fingers. So she was a frequent visitor in her best friend's apartment, eating her food, using up her water – sleeping in her bed.

Alex didn't mind. She smiled as Nichols walked in the room, the shorter woman's eyes falling over her friend's body. "You can't go out like that. You'll be like the Lesbian Pied Piper with those jugs." She grinned. "What about that?" She pointed to a black number hanging up.

"The day I start taking fashion advice from you is the day they bury me, kid." Alex's eyes fell to where her friend's attention was. She pulled the hanger out and held the dress against herself in the mirror. It was a low-cut skater dress, pulled in at the waist and fanned out into a perfect hourglass. She shrugged. It could work. She pulled it over her head and adjusted it. Reluctantly, she had to admit – it was a good choice.

It fell over her figure in just the right way. It showed her generous cleavage, gave her a tiny waist and ended just above her knees, begging the question to just _where_ did her legs end? She pulled on her black wedges and turned to Nichols with a satisfied smile.

"Looks like it's your funeral." Nichols said. "Fuck me, it's already ten-thirty, come on."

"Aren't you gonna get dressed?" Alex responded.

"Fuck you. Come on. The guys are waiting." She eyed the taller woman. "Stop thinking about it. It's the same as always. They're like moths to a flame with you."

Alex nodded, she pulled her favourite leather jacket around her shoulders and exhaled again. "Okay, let's go."

* * *

"Let's go through this one more time, Chapman."

"Jeez Bennett, no! We've been through it like three thousand times." Piper drew herself back in the limited space in the surveillance van.

"We just want to make sure you feel safe." Caputo added, removing the headphones from his ears.

"I do." Piper insisted heavily.

"Can we just test the camera once more?" Bennett asked.

"Fine." She said, she put her hand to her flower pendent necklace, and clicked it. "Once for on, twice for off. I gotta say, it's very clever – I'd never say in a million years that that's a camera."

"That's the point." He responded. "Make sure you keep that bracelet on at all times. If we lose visual we're going to go by your tracking device."

Piper looked down at her diamanté bangle – that in usual circumstances, she didn't think she'd wear and grimaced. "I _know,_ Bennett."

"We're only going to be a few blocks away."

"I _know."_

"She ranks higher than you, Officer Bennett. I think she deserves to have a bit of trust put in her." Caputo told his colleague.

"Right, right. Sorry, Detective. Go ahead."

"Thank you." Piper said curtly, nodding at both officers before moving backwards out of the van, trying to avoid giving both men an eyeful of her behind. Her dress was rather short. She opened the doors of the van, stepped down onto the road, gave them both one last smile and shut the doors behind her.

She was suddenly alone. She could smell the rain in the wake of the damp afternoon. It was dark outside and the air was brisk. Piper felt goosebumps forming on her legs.

Her heart was pounding and suddenly her ear piece jumped to life, startling her.

"What are you waiting for, Chapman. _Go."_ Caputo's voice sounded in her ear.

" _Sorry."_ She hissed into her bracelet. "I'm going, I'm going."

* * *

Alex was sat at the table with an empty glass in front of her. She was a little drunker than she had intended to be. She tried her best to tune into the conversation between Nichol's and her on/off again lover, Morello and their friend Big Boo - but couldn't quite grasp onto it. She was too busy looking for her next recruit, only, she was overanalysing it too much. She kept thinking about how much her own life depended on how well this went.

Well, her career anyway – which _was_ her life.

Alex shifted in her chair, she could see the kind of girls milling around the bar that she would usually approach. Very young, saw themselves as slightly alternative – were still very much in their 'alternative' fazes.

These were the type of girls that would sell her out.

She had to get her head in the game, but she was distracted. Alex got the drunken fuzziness that she so rarely got on a night out. She never allowed herself to, but tonight she was so anxious that she needed several tequilas to melt away the tremors in her body. It seemed to be working, too.

The music pumped through her veins as she looked down towards her empty glass. "Another round?" She asked loudly.

"Fuck you drank that fast. You alright, Vause?" Nichols said from across the table.

"Yeah – so you want one or what, kid?"

"Yeah, Morello?"

"Uh… sure."

"Boo?"

"You know it."

Alex got to her feet, feeling the eyes of her friends on her as she walked towards the bar. Her heels felt like foreign objects on her feet. She attempted to mentally sober up as she made her way through the throngs of people. Her eyes fell to exposed chests and tiny dresses than left little to the imagination.

Fuck, tequila made her horny.

It was much busier in the bar than it had been an hour ago, and she had been so lost in her own head that she had barely even noticed. The bar seemed to be the main attraction as it was surrounded by a large crowd. Alex sighed to herself and joined the long queue.

She saw a girl straight in front of her that she'd usually approach without a second thought. She was thin with wide eyes, long brunette hair cascading down her back. The girl met her eyes, wonder lit up her young face. Alex watched the woman study her, taking in every inch of her own body before looking back up to her eyes. There was an open curiosity there, a look that said _thrill me._

Alex looked away.

She couldn't follow her usual instincts - _that_ was what was getting her into trouble. The queue didn't seem to be moving a no one seemed to care. _Fuck it,_ she thought, swaying. She pushed through the intermingled crowd and made her way to the bar. She could feel the eyes of people on her, some out of awe, others curiosity.

She waited impatiently for the barman to acknowledge her, thrumming her fingers against the pine. She let her eyes scan across the bar at the other people waiting for a drink. Mostly there were post-college grads, avoiding life by drowning themselves in a bottle of cheap Chardonnay.

Her eyes stopped when a halo of blonde hair caught her eye. She looked over, waiting for the people in front of her to move as the woman approached the bar. Without even really knowing why, a powerful bolt shot straight from her chest right to her centre. She raised a brow to herself.

She let the crowd push her away from the bar. All attempts of finding the barman forgotten. She continued to stare as the younger woman came into focus. She had long blonde hair that fell past her shoulders in soft waves, somehow Alex already knew her eyes were blue. She wasn't terribly young, probably in her mid-twenties – but it was something about the strength of her gaze that made Alex veer towards her. As she got closer, she noticed the woman was wearing a rather revealing black dress, it clung to her lithe frame. She had endless olive legs that made Alex want to bite her lip to stop herself from groaning.

Alex didn't allow herself to think, only moved by some magnetic force. The woman finally caught her eye. She was right, they were blue – a beautiful shade, like the sky when the sun had just risen. The woman scanned her, her expression unreadable – and then suddenly, someone bumped into Alex, shocking her from the strange trance she had fallen into.

"Hey, fucking watch it." She snapped in annoyance.

"Sorry." She heard a meek voice mumble.

The crowd parted again, but the woman was gone.

* * *

Piper found herself locked in the cubicle of a very filthy toilet. Her heart was pounding and she didn't know why. Her hands were pressed against the fragile wall of the cubicle, arms extended as she steadied herself.

What the fuck was she doing?

She pulled the lid of the toilet down and sat on it, breath heavy.

" _Chapman, what the fuck are you doing? She was right in your line of vision – if you're not up to the-"_

"I'm fine, Caputo!" She hissed into her bracelet. "I just need a minute."

Why _did_ she need a minute? She wondered to herself.

Maybe because now this wasn't just an idea anymore, this assignment was real. And it was scary. The world she was about to enter into wasn't abstract anymore, it wasn't going to be this action-packed whirlwind she had imagined. It was going to be frightening and a real fucking challenge.

Alex Vause wasn't just a name anymore. She was a person. A person she had only seen merely seconds ago. She was going to have to let herself be seduced by her.

Although, something told her it wouldn't be quite _so_ hard to let herself melt at the hands of this woman.

She didn't know what sort of person she had expected, but it hadn't been her.

Piper had been scanning the crowd whilst she waited for the barman when a Bennett's voice pierced her ear.

" _That's her Chapman, approaching you at eleven o'clock."_ She had looked in the direction instantly, and she had felt her heart simultaneously soar and drop at the same time. Her eyes settled on the woman approaching her – she was already watching her.

She hadn't even had to do anything, Piper acknowledged, she was already on the woman's radar.

Piper felt her lips part. The woman had dark raven hair that fell just above her ample breasts – her green eyes bore straight into her own. She was beautiful. She was tall, even taller too with her stilettos Piper couldn't help but admire. As she came closer and the people moved away a little, she could see her features closer. Her own chest constricted. She was really, really beautiful. The older woman wore a smirk on her full lips, her dazzling green eyes lit alight with a forbidden mirth. The blonde let her eyes travel down her body, her skin was almost translucent – her legs were long and shapely. Even her walk was hypnotising.

Brooke Soso has not been exaggerating about this mystical creature.

Piper stopped herself. This was a bad woman. A terrible woman who recruited vulnerable young girls into the dangerous world of a drug ring.

Why did she have to be so achingly sexy?

Piper's heart rate spiked. She had to get away – a person moved in front of her and she took her opportunity, almost sprinting to the toilets – trying desperately to capture her flighty breaths.

She didn't know if it was because Alex Vause was a real (inhumanely attractive) person, or if she was only just anticipating what was about to come. She only knew that she already felt increasingly suffocated, like all of the air had involuntarily left her body.

She knew that she had to go back out there.

She was Detective Piper Chapman, dammit, and she had a job to do.

* * *

Ten minutes later, the detective made her way back into the crowded bar. She was painfully aware that she had almost majorly fucked up ten minutes into her assignment. She had to commit to this fully. Right now, she couldn't be Piper Chapman – she had to be her alias. She was playing a part.

She was Piper… what was it again? Piper… Green. Right. Piper Green did _not_ have a long term boyfriend that she was currently lying to. Piper Green was not a notorious detective – she was a twenty-five year old still stuck in her experimental faze. She was going to be confident, brave and most of all, she was going to be the type of person this Alex Vause would recruit.

She had to bury whatever it was she was suddenly feeling, and be the detective she knew that she could be. She wasn't a frightened teenager, she was a woman on a mission – and she would be damned if her trivial emotions interfered with that.

She could however, do with some liquid courage. She approached the bar again, and scanned it with fresh eyes – she couldn't see Vause anywhere.

"Where _is_ she?" Piper hissed into her bracelet.

She put her finger to her ear. " _She's smoking out front_." Bennett said. " _Speaking with a short woman with a rather large head of hair… she is rather, attractive isn't she?"_

" _Shut up, Bennett."_ She heard Caputo say in the background.

Piper smirked, then clocked a group of young women staring at her. She looked insane – like she speaking to herself. She hoped they thought she was severely intoxicated.

"I'll be out in a second, I need a drink."

" _Okay."_

The bar wasn't as crowded now, so getting the attention of the man behind the bar wasn't as difficult. "Can I have a margarita please?"

"Certainly."

"And uh... a couple of shots please." She added.

A short while later, she was surrounded by a collection of shot glasses and two empty margaritas – and a fresh one for the road. She had needed more liquid encouragement than she realised. _Be Piper Green_. She told herself. The alcohol had taken the edge off, she felt that blissful fuzziness she so rarely let herself feel. She felt free.

She was ready.

* * *

Piper walked outside, the cold biting at her bare arms – she acknowledged her shivers distantly. She could see the back of Alex Vause, she had a couple of inches on Piper. Her hair fell shining and dark down her back.

She was laughing with the woman that Bennett had described to a T, she had matted hair that suggested she had only just crawled from the depths of a duvet.

Piper stood at the edge of the smoking area.

Well this was suspicious, she didn't even smoke – but maybe, Piper Green did? Damn this undercover thing, she was going to end up with lung cancer.

"And then I said, do you always take this long to cum? I could have read the Game of Thrones books back to back by now." The shorter woman paused, she raised the cigarette to her lips and inhaled deeply. "And she told me to go fuck myself. So she left – and I did. Best night I've had in a long time. I came five times."

Piper laughed involuntarily, a snigger building in her throat and erupting out of her mouth. Her hand immediately flew to her lips, her eyes were wide.

Vause turned around. She didn't look startled, only mildly amused, then gradually as she turned fully her expression became warm with silky intrigue. The cigarette was extended expertly in her hand and a leather jacket was draped around her shoulders.

"Uh, excuse me sorry – do you have a light?" The blonde found herself saying. Fuck. "And also… a cigarette?"

The brunette's smile grew wider, and the green eyes glowed brighter as she surveyed her. "Sure, kid." Alex reached into her pack and passed her one.

Piper looked around before placing the end of it into her mouth. She wanted to take it out and throw it on the ground, but instead she watched as the older woman lit the end of it for her. The breeze prevented it from lighting. "Fuck." Alex hissed between her teeth, she cupped her hand around it and tried again, this time successful – she backed away.

Piper had tried smoking once when she was young. _Once._ She had been extremely wasted and could barely put one foot in front of the other, which even as a teenager was uncharacteristic of her. She was sixteen years old, at Polly's senior friend Thomas's party. She had been very nervous because she had happened to have a crush on him. She had drank a lot and smoked a cigarette to impress him. She then had a guilt hangover for the next month – vowing never to let the death stick between her lips again.

Now her cover depended on this.

" _Don't fucking cough, Chapman."_ Caputo said in her ear.

She almost responded but thought better of it when she noticed the green orbs following her movements. She felt almost shy, like a kid making new friends in the playground. This woman had a look about her that radiated adventure. She didn't look as though she could be a bad person, rebellious – yes, but bad - _no._

But then looks could be deceiving, couldn't they?

She inhaled slowly, knowing full well that the poison was filling up her lungs – though somehow she managed to exhale without choking.

Miraculous.

"Thanks." She said.

Nichols looked from the brunette to the blonde and slowly backed away. "I'm going to find the others." She gave Piper a wink.

Piper smirked as she watched the other woman walk away.

"Not much of a smoker, are you?" Alex said.

Piper furrowed her brow, noticing now how impossibly husky the woman's voice sounded. It was like hot chocolate on a cold day. It sent sparks flying within her. "What tells you that?"

"The way you're holding it." She laughed. "You've never smoked a day in your fucking life have you?"

" _Just be honest."_ Bennett said to the earpiece.

Honest? What she was doing right now was the very opposite of anything remotely related to candour. She sighed and looked up, Alex was resting one arm against the wall, the rest of her body angled towards it. Her gaze was piercing, as though she could see straight through her.

"I mean, no." The blonde grinned. "I guess I was feeling a bit rebellious today."

"Fair enough. What's your name, kid?"

"Piper, you?"

"Alex."

"Nice to meet you."

"You too, Piper." Formality didn't suit her. "Can I buy you a drink?"

That was more like it. Piper nodded, a mixture of fear and anticipation bubbling away in her stomach. "Sure."

" _You're doing well, Chapman keep it up."_

The detective grimaced as Alex led the way in front of her.

This was going to be much harder than she thought.

 **Thanks for reading – if you want to let me know what you think then please leave a review!**

 **Follow my tumblr (if you want!) my username is Chuckoholic.**

 **Until next time!**


	3. Sacred Lesbian Circle

_**Firstly, thank you so much for the response I received for the previous chapter. I'm overwhelmed! I am sorry for leaving it over two weeks to update. I've moved back to uni, and started a new job – so life's kinda crazy again. But hey, here it is…**_

 **Chapter 3 – Sacred Lesbian Circle**

The crowd around them glittered in a frenzy of bright clothes and young people. The music thumped, and people moved and shook in sync to the disjointed melody. Alex and Piper had managed to shoulder their way to the bar, almost drowning in the sea of people and the humidity that they brought with them.

"You want another margarita, kid?" Alex asked the younger woman over the music.

Piper considered it. _Did she?_ She _was_ technically working right now - but with the amount she was drinking, it was feeling more like a night out.

Well, if a night out involved hearing two of her colleagues arguing through an ear-piece, that was.

To her immense surprise, she found that she was enjoying herself. She felt an excitement surge through her that she couldn't quite acknowledge the origin of. Whatever it was, she needed to quickly put a stop to it.

She had only just located Vause again, after – rather shamefully, locking herself in the women's toilets to avoid her. The reason to which she wasn't quite ready to acquaint herself with. She had found Alex outside, and the brunette had offered to buy her a drink.

She couldn't pass up the opportunity to drink. For one, she didn't want to – and also, she couldn't do anything to compromise this cover she was establishing. Despite the alcohol coursing through her veins, it was essential she kept a clear head.

" _Take it easy, now Chapman."_ Bennett hissed.

" _She can't break her cover – Bennett, if getting shitfaced is what is going to get her in with Vause, then so be it."_ Caputo insisted angrily.

Piper scratched her ear, she didn't need both of them arguing in her ear right now. It was like having a devil and an angel perched on either shoulder.

" _Shut up."_ She said into her bracelet.

"What?" Alex said, frowning.

"Nothing. Sorry. I'll have whatever you're having." She had to go right up to Alex so that she could hear her.

"Oh, is that right?" She raised one eyebrow and a playful smirk warmed her features. Being in such close proximity to this this woman seemed to be sending her body into overdrive. Piper was annoyed to find that she had to berate herself constantly, continuously reminding herself that this was a woman involved in an evil organisation. She was bad. She was dangerous. She couldn't be trusted.

"Yeah." Piper feigned innocence.

Alex returned the smile, her eyes burning a fire down the younger woman's body.

"Up for some shots kid?"

Piper nodded, pushing away the anxiety that was forming in the pit of her stomach. The music pulsated around her, and her heart seemed to be jumping madly around in sync with the melody. She watched as the older woman ordered a selection of what could only be a lethal concoction - with the confidence of someone who did it regularly. Her eyes seemed to enchant everyone who looked into them, even the barman seemed to fall under her spell.

"Did someone say shots?" Piper heard a voice say from behind her. She turned to see three expectant faces looking at her, one of which she recognised. The lion-haired woman gave her a large grin, and behind her the small brunette blushed. The older, slightly rounder woman to their left smiled knowingly with her arms crossed, as though she was initiating a challenge.

"I swear you have supersonic hearing where alcohol is involved." Alex said wryly, turning her head slightly to the small crowd that had gathered behind her, before turning back to the bar and ordering more drinks.

"You know I do, Vause."

"Go get that table over there, quickly before it goes!" The brunette replied over her shoulder, flashing her eyes.

The bar had filled up so much that the fleeting sight of a table was enough to make the remaining other women shoot towards it.

"I'll stay and help you with the drinks." Piper said obligingly, her heart sinking oddly to the thought of not being alone in Alex's company.

"No, go sit, kid – Nichols here will help me." She grabbed her friend by the sleeve and pulled her back. "Go on. I'll be there in a sec. Be prepared to be well and truly drunk under the table."

"What is it about you and underneath tables?" Nichols quipped. "Bit of an exhibitionist this one." She winked at Piper.

Piper wanted to say something equally witty back, but found her mouth disappointingly dry, so she followed the others. She pushed passed the people, and to the mercy of her aching feet, managed to sit down.

She exhaled deeply before looking up to find the remaining two women watching her intently.

"I'm Lorna, but they call me Morello." The sweet-looking one announced. "This is Boo."

The older woman gave a small smile. "Big Boo."

"I'm Piper." The blonde said.

"Your hair's real pretty, Piper. I wish I could grow mine that long." Morello said, pulling on her own short brunette tendrils – despite what her locks lacked in length, made up for with a glossy shine.

"Yours is lovely." She replied, instantly taking a liking to the younger woman.

Piper watched the crowds around her, the place was quickly becoming very busy and she struggled to hear what Caputo was trying to say in her ear piece. She wanted to push the device further into her ear, in case it had slipped loose – but she didn't want to draw attention to herself.

.

.

.

Alex watched Nikki as she glared at her with narrowed eyes and a heavy brow.

"She doesn't really look like your usual type, Vause. Seems kind of, I don't know – educated." Nichols laughed to herself. "But seriously, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking – that maybe, I don't know, that it's none of your fucking business."

"Hey, cool it. What the fuck is up with you tonight?"

"Ugh, shit – Nik, I'm sorry. I just feel like really fucking pressured after my conversation with Kubra a few days ago." She paused as the barman placed the drinks down, and she looked down at them for a moment before turning back to her friend. "I can't mess this up. I have to choose someone wisely It's important."

"What and she's your idea of a good recruit?" The younger woman replied, gaze slightly softer than before. They both looked over at the blonde sitting at the table with Big Boo and Morello, she was seemingly smiling nervously at the two women, sipping the remnants of her margarita. Alex watched the way her eyes followed the conversation between her own friends, the blonde's lips parted in genuine interest – brows high, as though she was internally taking notes ready for a pop quiz later. She felt something expand in her chest and she frowned as she turned back to Nichols.

"She's golden. Look at her. Seriously. She's perfect for this." She gathered her hands around a few glasses, wedging the bigger ones beneath her crossed arms, pressing them into her chest. "Can I get a hand here please?"

Nichols curled her fingers around the remaining cocktail glasses. "Look – Vause, I don't want to be that person. It's just – be careful, you seem to be kind of into her."

"Into her? I've known her for like, ten minutes. She's a potential recruit. That's it."

"Hmm." The other replied, as Alex began to walk away from her and she followed.

Alex walked back over to the table and was surprised to find all of the women getting along. They were laughing, as though they had all known each other for years. Piper seemed to have relaxed much more in her absence. Her slender shoulders had visibly fallen, her expression was light – free.

All of a sudden Alex had a flash of placing her lips in the dip in her neck as it met the line of her heart-shaped jaw. Of tracing her fingers along the hollow of her back. Of making her blue eyes turning dark with want, to hear her whispering hot loaded breaths in her ear. She shook herself. What the fuck was she doing?

Maybe this was a terrible idea, she thought as she sat down. She had to admit it, she was insanely attracted to this woman. It was consuming – and she had only known her for a very short time. This woman – Piper, already seemed perfect for the job. She seemed naïve – and had an endearing innocence about her that Alex _should_ take advantage of.

What was stopping her?

So what if she felt these things? Wasn't that the point? Kubra wanted her to make this _girl_ fall in love with _her_. That was _her_ job. Her goal. To recruit someone who would do absolutely anything that she asked. That was her objective. She had to stop applying so much pressure to herself. It was just another fucking job. She was just another girl.

"Hey." Piper said as she sat down, with bright eyes and a wide smile.

"Hey," the brunette mirrored, placing an identical drink in front of her, followed by several shots. "You sure you want to get into this? I have a famously high tolerance."

"Oh I'm _sure._ " The way she said the last word made Alex cross her legs tightly. They held one another's gaze, it felt bewilderingly familiar. Alex felt something shimmer in the air between them, it radiated grew, and blossomed – something beautiful was flourishing, despite what she kept telling herself – she was very quickly losing her balance.

Alex finally broke the exchange between herself and the blonde to find her friends glaring at her intently.

" _What?"_ She mouthed vehemently.

People blurred and filtered in and around them, though their circle felt warmly secluded. Sam Sparro's _Black and Gold_ began playing, and Alex couldn't help but tap her finger against the wood of the table. She felt Piper's eyes on her – it was a delicious sensation.

"How about a good old-fashioned never have I ever?" Nikki announced, grinning.

"Sure." Morello said as Boo rolled her eyes.

"Are you serious? Jesus. Sorry I forgot that we were twelve year olds having a slumber party." Alex said, watching Piper.

"What the fuck kind of sleepovers did you go to Vause?" Big Boo said. "Experimental lesbian orgies?"

"Something like that, yeah." She relented. "Fine, why the fuck not?"

"Okay, I'll start." Nichol's said, sitting up straighter – stretching her arms out along the table, curling her fingers around the amber liquid knocking around in her glass. She pulled it closer, look a deep glug and folded herself back against the cushioned chair. "Never have I ever… right, now this may be an obvious one – fucked a dude."

Laughs echoed around the table. Piper and Morello's eyes connected, both reached for their drinks and hesitantly swallowed them – aware all eyes were on them.

"Why are you looking at me like I just killed a puppy?" Morello said, an unexpected fierceness falling across her neat features. "Is this like the Sacred Lesbian Circle where we pretend dicks don't exist?"

"Yes." Boo said.

" _No."_ Alex said at the same time. "You can like dick – it's cool." She directed the last part towards the blonde. "No judgement here. Although… you should at least have a semi-appreciation for pussy, that's all I ask."

Piper blushed and looked down at her drink.

"Alright, my go." Boo said. "Never have I ever, let's see… um, squirted."

Alex watched Piper turn into an even deeper shade of crimson as she swallowed her drink once more. No one else drank – or spoke for that matter.

" _What?"_ She said. "I… It was one time, and it took us both by surprise." She grinned sheepishly, and Alex felt herself gravitate towards her further. She leaned towards her, and found her teeth biting the inside of her lower lip. Her finger tips tingled. She wanted to touch her.

"Well aren't you just full of surprises, kid." She raised one solitary brow.

"I am indeed." She would have carried off the quip if it hadn't been for her reddening cheeks.

"So… do you like pussy Piper?" Nichols questioned, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. "I already know you like Pipe – as your name suggests."

"Uh, excuse me?" Piper retorted. "I-"

"Shut up, Nichols." Alex said. "Okay…" She tried not to let herself be distracted by the beat of the music. "Right, never have I ever…" she pondered the thought, "fucked a girl, her best friend – AND her sister all in one night." She looked directly at Nikki.

Nichols grinned and drank. "Well that was a bit specific wasn't it?"

"No… it could have happened to any one of us."

"How did that happen?" Morello said, frowning – expression unreadable.

"Well it was like a year ago. Alex had a party… and I stumbled upon a little trio. They were all wasted, all about nineteen – all crazy horny. So yeah, I fucked one in the bathroom –"

" _My bathroom…"_

"Yeah. Then the sister, and… then _both_ of them at one point."

"What?" Piper exclaimed, itching her ear again.

"I was wasted. I took the best friend to mine next door, and woke up wearing her clothes – then found that she'd stolen my favourite fucking vibrator." She shook her head.

"You are sick." Morello said with a small grin on her face.

"I can't help it if I am the master."

.

.

.

Somehow, without Piper's knowledge, two hours had passed. Some terrifyingly wild secrets had been revealed – and she subconsciously acknowledged that she had told her boss, and her colleague that she had once squirted. Of course, she didn't only have the attention of the four women surrounding her, but the two men sitting in the van outside, following her every movement and listening to her every word.

She was having such a good time that she began to feel guilty. This was work. She was an undercover detective. However, she couldn't help but enjoy the company of the others enormously, she loved the humorous dynamic between them. Even if they were criminals.

Piper felt Alex's eyes on her constantly, it was like sitting right next to a raging furnace. She felt her face permanently blushing beneath her gaze. She knew that it was time to get the older woman alone. She had to get herself in – make it clear to this woman that she was interested. That she wanted _in._

Although, she wasn't supposed to know anything about it – so she'd have to play it cool.

As much as she knew that she needed to get out of this intimate circle, she was also a little intimated to be alone in the brunette's company. She was afraid of what might happen, of her body taking on a life of its own. She was afraid that she would lose the control she was holding so fiercely on to.

They had all slowly lost interest in the game, and they had now fallen into their own conversations. Piper felt strangely distant, wrapped in the fuzzy blanket of drunkenness – she watched Alex's exchange with who she established to be her best friend, as well as her neighbour. She could tell that they had known each other for a long time. She wasn't quite sure what was happening between Nikki and Morello, but she was intrigued.

It was her job to figure thing out, to gage relationships and individuals – but she was having a difficult time with Vause. She watched her with her chin rested on the back of her hand, her effortless confidence radiating from her. She found herself warming to the undeniably attractive way that she laughed – and how, when she smiled it had a domino effect on everyone around her.

Piper was startled to find the brunette suddenly staring back at her, the emerald orbs holding hers – her lips curling up at the edges, they parted – she was saying something. Piper concentrated. "Do you want to get some air?" She was mouthing.

Piper nodded as they excused themselves from the enclosed circle. Alex stood and extended her arm towards Piper, her palm open and inviting. Hesitantly, her fingers closed around the older woman's – feeling her surprisingly warm fingers twine through hers. Instantly, her whole body felt lighter.

She realised just how drunk she was when she stood up, and the room danced around her, tilting on its axis.

" _Chapman, hurry up and close this thing. Caputo has fallen asleep and I'm afraid I'm going to drown in his dribble, and I'm dangerously close to pissing myself."_ Piper jumped momentarily and waited a moment for the words to sink in.

" _Okay."_ She spat into her bracelet, as the brunette led her through the crowds.

" _You are doing great, though."_ Bennett reluctantly added. " _She hasn't stopped looking at you."_

Piper grinned, and found his last statement made her glow. She shrugged it off and continued to move in pursuit of her bounty.

.

.

.

She acknowledged how much the alcohol had affected her - when she stepped outside and the cold did not envelope her like it usually did on a cold September night. The music thumped in the background, but now it wasn't so deafening – she could actually hear herself think. Although thoughts were coming to her slower now – in that hazy, delicate way that they only did when you were intoxicated.

She saw her breath in front of her, and for a moment – it was almost suspended, and then it vanished. Piper steadied herself against the wall, holding her body upright. She watched as Alex lit up a cigarette, her eyes cast downwards – the cool breeze blowing her jet black hair behind her bare translucent shoulder.

She studied her as though she was a 5am sunrise, with the same mystery and beauty. Alex caught her eye again, her lashes falling against her cheek as she looked down Piper's body, and slowly – ever so slowly, came back up – lingering on her chest for longer than was strictly necessary, before meeting her eyes again. Her gaze was like flames licking at her, never quite burning her – like it was begging for her to reach out and touch it. She knew she would get burned, she knew it would leave a scar, but she couldn't stop.

"You okay there, kid? I told you I had a high tolerance. I think you're fucked." Alex said with a smile, raising the cigarette to her red-stained lips and inhaling.

"I'm fine." Piper said – lowering her eyes as Alex closed the gap between them. "Really."

"You sure about that? I'm pretty sure that wall is the only thing holding you up right now."

"What? No, well, maybe a little."

"Wanna sit?" Alex said, indicating towards the little step below them.

"Sure." Piper said, slowly lowering herself so that she was sitting. A small part of her realising she was doing her job exactly right. This was what they wanted – for Detective Chapman to finally be alone with Vause. They had been right to hire her for this, because it did in fact appear that this woman was drawn to her. Whether it was from sheer attraction, she very much doubted, but she knew that she seemed the perfect candidate for their next drop.

For some reason that thought hurt her.

"What do you do, Piper?" The blonde noticed the older woman had turned so that her entire body was angled towards hers, her knees were pressed together – with her elbows resting on top, and hands folded supporting her chin.

What was it that Piper Green did? Piper mentally stumbled. She was supposed to be someone who would appeal to Vause – her job had to be very minimal. It wasn't exactly like she could say, _"I'm a police detective, by the way."_

"I'm a waitress."

"Really?" Alex returned. "Fuck. I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend you it's just…" she leant closer, "I had you pegged for, I don't know a teacher. Or a lawyer – something smart, y'know?"

"I'll have you know adding up my tips is a pretty tricky job. All those numbers." She shrugged, her drunken brain trying to forge a story that was actually believable. "I guess I'm still kinda figuring stuff out." Piper felt the strangest urge to reach out and touch her, she was so close – it made her nipples harden and her centre burn. What was it about her that made her so completely irresistible?

"That's cool." The brunette replied.

"What about you? What do you do, Alex?" Piper said slowly with measured words.

"I work for an international drug cartel."

" _Well fuck, doesn't beat around the bush does she?"_ Bennett guffawed in her ear.

Piper laughed inadvertently, and Alex swiftly followed suit.

"What? Are you serious?" She managed to say.

"Yeah, I mean, it pays the bills. I smuggle drugs through customs, I get to fly all around the world. I have a killer apartment – so yeah, I'm not ashamed. Although it's a little unorthodox." Her green eyes were wide and sincere. How could she seem so wholeheartedly _good_ when what she was doing was so fucking wrong?

"You go around telling everyone that?"

"…No. But you're not a cop are you?" Alex laughed again.

Piper choked and then calmed herself. "No."

"So it's fine. I mean, you strike me as pretty trustworthy, kid. You've got an honest face."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Slowly Alex moved towards her, and parted Piper's legs with her own. She placed one of hers between Piper's, and the other outside. This allowed the brunette's face to come close to hers. She was so close that Piper felt herself tremble, her beautiful eyes closer now – her full lips just inches from her own. Her knee pressed up against her warm centre – and she Piper now very aware of the woman's hands slowly grazing up her bare legs, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. Wordlessly, they studied each other, and Piper couldn't resist curling a long stray hair back behind Alex's ear.

She felt the smooth skin of Alex's cheek against her knuckle – and she did it again, just because she wanted to. She couldn't bear to think, she hardly dared to breathe – scared that anything, a single action, a single movement – would frighten this moment away.

The intensity in Alex's eyes startled her, and she felt as though she was looking much deeper – and she felt something subtle, but significant shift within her. Her thoughts of this woman's criminal acts shifted away, and she was left with only the longing in her heart.

Finally Alex's lips captured hers, and she closed her eyes – no longer certain that the alcohol was creating this sensation. Alex held her lips between her own, and gently – she parted them with the permission of her tongue. Piper tilted her head slightly so that she could deepen the kiss.

The brunette grazed her fingertips through her hair, and then down her body – guiding them down her back and the curve of her waist. It was driving Piper wild, her kiss was unlocking parts of her she was never aware existed, her body grew hot and between them an energy rose and combusted. She was utterly lost beneath her touch, she was drowning in her embrace. Their movements grew frantic, delicate touches became insistent tugs – hot breaths between kisses became heavily laced with a deep desire.

To her dismay – and very distant relief, Alex broke the kiss.

"So, you want in?" She said.

 **Thanks for reading. I apologise for any errors, I literally skim-read this! The next update hopefully won't be too long, but my Lit and Creative Writing degree is pretty hefty with its reading and writing. So it'll be as soon as I can!**

 **Thanks for reading. Please leave a review and let me know what you think… see you soon!**


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